Shining on Your World
by Shelbey
Summary: Her tears and pain from the separation turn into unwavering strength and devoted determination. Masao goes to Suna to find Gaara. What awaits her there? [Sequel to Medicine for the Heart] [GaaraxOC] [COMPLETE]
1. Prologue

**Title**: Shining on Your World

**Author**: Hitachiin Hikaru

**Fandom**: Naruto

**Rating**: "T" for blood, death, and bad language

**Genre**: Romance/Action/Adventure

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any part of the Naruto, including characters, cities, towns, scenarios, titles, or anything else about it that you can think of. I just want to express my creative intent with this fic. Hell, I don't even own the plot. BUT! I do own Masao, Sorakage, Hikarigakure and such other things that I invented for all purposes with this story.

By the way, Masao's gotten a lot ruder with her speech. It seems Gaara left an interesting change on her once content demeanor. Curses are her new favorite pastime and she enjoys making fun of people.

**Summary**: Sequel to Medicine for the Heart. Spoilers for Naruto II Arc GaaraxOC

**A/N**: Set during the Naruto II Arc, so major spoilers for those who haven't read it. Medicine is during some strange alternate universe period so Gaara was still "containing" Shukaku. Now, I **know** Masao wasn't present during any of this because, **duh**, I made her up. But I'm adding her into the events that happened concerning Gaara, the Akatsuki, Itachi, and Shukaku for my own purposes. Enjoy!

Prologue

Nighttime. One of the most breathtaking times of the twenty-four hours of one Earth day, with the stars shining, the moon (depending what phase it's in) lighting up the sky either none, a little or a lot; a soft wind usually blowing through the trees and other flora, and reflecting off the lake near the village giving it a spectacular, otherworldly gleam. It was a cloudless night, this one, ideal for stargazing with your significant other, or to just take a stroll bathing in the illumination of the crescent moon. One person decided on the former, but they were alone, sitting on a large rock by the lake and staring into the blue water with sad eyes.

She was pretty, with short maroon hair layered in half-inches from the top of her ear to her shoulder and silvery eyes portraying such emotion one might never believe her to be a shinobi, much less a high ranking one. She wore a black shirt with the sleeve trailing down her right arm, and a purple one under that with the sleeve dangling on her left. Her skirt was knee length and red, with a silvery cape-like piece of cloth hanging over her right leg, hiding the enormous amount of bandages covering the entire appendage. A dark blue headband adorned with a silver plate was tied around her forehead, and a sun was etched into the surface.

The young woman stared at the surface of the water with passionate concentration, as if she could draw something out of it just by gazing at it hard enough. Sighing, she ran her hand into the chilly liquid, perverting the moon reflecting on its once still surface into ripples. The clear, blue water reminded her so much… so much of him. Calm, stoic, cool, until moved by a small, nameless force. Then, before you know it, back to the way it once was, seeming as if it never changed at all. She blinked and glanced into the lake, noting her reflection in the calming wrinkles. You yourself can distinguish it became altered, and you can see your face in it and truthfully say, I changed the way this once was, but you really can't tell anymore. The world's tranquility returns to normal, and the ripples vanish into nothingness, leaving you to wonder if it was a good thing to cause the wave.

It's that indecision that confused her. He came one way and left the same. Yet in-between a miraculous change occurred, and she could have sworn he would stay that way. But things adjust, and he left with the flow of time. Her current in his life was small and unnoticeable, and always that is how it will stay. She knew this, but couldn't stop herself from thinking that maybe, one day, he would come back and save her from her loneliness. She had saved him, now it's his turn to save her.

She waited. She peeked out of her office window whenever she could, to see if he might be walking down the road, willing to take her into his arms, kiss her tenderly and tell her everything would be all right. Apologize for leaving her alone in the world once more; to suffer in her misery again.

For a year and a half she waited for him to come. When she realized he wouldn't, and never would, she fell into a state of depression deep enough to swallow her whole. She didn't know what to do anymore. If she couldn't wait for him, what could she do? Finally, someone pulled her from the void and told her, annoyed, that well if he wasn't come to see her than, **hello**, she should go to him. But, of course, she had hesitated. What would he do if she suddenly turned up on his doorstep, begging him to rethink his verdict? Would he turn her away in disgust? Or would he consider her pleas? There was no way to be sure, so she decided to take the safe, and easy, way out by not even going to Suna.

She couldn't face him.

She was too pained, too saddened by the past. Too frightened by what the future may hold to do anything with the present. What was the point? It was lost love, forever drowned in the sea of insecurity, the sea of doubt. In the lake, she saw a delusion that she couldn't possibly have seen, but was there anyway. Soft, crimson hair; pale, sapphire colored eyes delineated in thick, black lines; a handsome face marred only by the kanji engraved into his forehead. Tears fell from her eyes into the water, disfiguring the picture set before her.

_Gaara…_

"Why?" she whispered to the illusion in the water, "…why?" She clutched her heart and screamed, "Why did you go!" He made no reply, just stared at her with those vacant eyes and emotionless expression. Splashing the image away, she faced away from the lake and up at the stars, letting the water drip down her cheeks. She needed to find him and ask him why personally. She had to know. And she had to know **now**. Narrowing her eyes she thought, _He better have a good explanation or there'll be Hell to pay God dammit!_


	2. Captured

Chapter 1: Captured

Masao scratched the side of her head for the umpteenth time and stared back at the crinkled map in annoyance. _Stupid, expensive, outdated map!_ she thought with serious infuriation as she looked around the village. Everything looked the same to her here. Sand, sand, and… guess what? More sand. Sighing she realized that, obviously, this is **Suna**gakure and, duh, there was going to be some sand here. It was their namesake. But she really hadn't grasped how much there was going to actually be. She understood the whole thing of it being in the desert and all. But c'mon! Even the buildings were made of the stuff! Shoving the map back into her bag and hoisting it onto her shoulder, Masao looked around for a friendly face that would be willing to give her directions. She glanced from villager to villager in hopes of finding one such person.

She shrunk back with a slightly irked expression. So much for that plan. Exhaling noisily, she started again down the street feeling slightly miffed. Stupid Suna. Sure they made a treaty with the place. So what? They still had **horribly** archaic maps and **impossible** to navigate streets and a frustratingly **sexy** Kazekage. It made her want to scream and beat someone ruthlessly with a porcupine. She was abruptly jerked from her thoughts when suddenly, a large shadow flew over the entire village and she glanced up to see a colossal wave of sand soaring over them. Her jaw dropped and then clenched. "Sheesh Gaara!" she growled under her breath. "Way to make yourself hard to find."

Narrowing her eyes, she realized that something was wrong. He wasn't showing off (he wasn't that kind of guy) and he began manipulating the sand into claw like shapes grasping at a large bird thing. Someone rode atop it, but she couldn't distinguish who it was or what village they were from. They moved away from the village and Masao followed in close pursuit, avoiding knocking into people and tripping over random items on the street. Yeah that'd be a good impression. Hikari's Sorakage Cracks Skull in Pursuit of Suna's Kazekage. She could see the headlines now. The pursuit part might raise a few eyebrows and her dignity would forever be soiled. Several midair explosions erupted and she became more worried by the minute. _Who's strong enough to put up a fight against Gaara?_ she wondered anxiously.

As the sand morphed into a thick, circular shield around the jinchūriki, Masao accidentally ran into another spectator, knocking over him. They tumbled to the ground awkwardly, with her tumbled over his back and him on his stomach. "I'm so sorry!" she cried helping the black clad man back to him feet.

Dusting himself off, he mumbled, "Yeah, yeah whatever." Her eyes widened. She would recognize that voice anywhere. He had a set of three scrolls tied to his back rather than his golem, but the cat-eared veil around his head and the black attire gave him away instantly. He hasn't changed one bit.

"Kankurou-san!" she asked, looking at his face. He leaned back a little from her, slightly uncomfortable. She noted the new series of lines decorating his face, but nevertheless it was still the same boy she knew from before. Bowing to him Masao said, "I know we really didn't hit off too well before, Kankurou-san, but might you remember me?" He gave her a strange look then blinked in revelation.

"Masao-kun?" he questioned. Then he shook his head and turned his attention back to the scene above. He was more worried about Gaara than why the Sorakage had popped out of no where and tackled him to the ground. A tall man in all black with a green vest on stood nearby. He had a white veil across the right side of his face held up by a series of bandages and his headband.

He said, "From looking at that shape we can assume Kazekage's opponent is probably a member of the Akatsuki Clan." Masao's eyes widened and she stared at the Suna jounin in shock. She went from uncertain to worried at the name of the particular clan.

"It's just as I thought," Kankurou growled, balling his hands into fists. _So, they're here. But why? Are they after Gaara? Or the village itself?_ Kankurou couldn't be sure, all her knew was that the redhead needed help! He didn't like standing by and doing nothing while his little brother defended the village himself. _But…_

_The… Akatsuki…_ Masao was very familiar with the clique and what they stood for. But Gaara… did he stand a chance against a member from there? She clenched her hands angrily.

The man called, "Hurry, prepare for battle! We're going to back up the Kazekage!" Masao grinned. Well, at least these people were loyal to their leader. "Medical team, set up a barrier and guide the civilians in there." She bit her lip and glanced at Kankurou who continued to look up at the sky in well hidden concern.

"Sir!"

As they vanished, Baki, still watching Gaara fight, said, "Kankurou."

"What is it?" he asked, glancing at him.

He paused for a moment then turned to face the puppet master. "Consider the idea of Gaara going crazy again in your head." She tensed and gave the man the beginning of what was to be a furious look, only halted by confusion. _Wasn't this man just… planning on _helping_ Gaara? _"As well as a scenario where Shukaku comes out too." Masao bristled and stepped forward but Kankurou held his arm out to stop her. She glared at him and saw the determined expression adorning his face.

"That won't happen," he defended, giving his sensei an uncompromising look. "Gaara won't harm the people of this village." He looked back at his brother. _Gaara…_ He had told Kankurou once that he realized he could change the way he lived. That he wasn't only a dangerous weapon. Thanks to Uzumaki Naruto, the jinchūriki understood that through hard work he could become something the Sand needed: their Kazekage. He glanced down at the anxiety-filled Masao and sighed. _Little did he know…_ he thought wryly.

The maroon haired girl watched him in pleased awe. _I was wrong. Kankurou has changed… a lot._ Looking around she noted the amount of people cheering their leader on. "Do your best Kazekage-sama!" a man called to him. _It seems… that Gaara has become quite popular in Sunagakure._ He wasn't the lonely boy she met less than two years ago. He was a capable leader worthy of his position, and she felt happy knowing he was needed now. "Kankurou-san…"

Before the puppeteer could answer someone cried, "What the hell is that!" The exclamation caused her head to snap up and she saw a huge birdlike creature barreling down towards the village. Gasping, she turned to Kankurou who grit his teeth.

Baki, noting the gravity of the situation, called to them, "This is bad! Spread out!"

Turning to Masao, and noting her fear-mesmerized induced state, Kankurou ordered, "We have to get moving! C'mon!" He tried to pull her with him, but he jerked her too fast and too suddenly, causing her to stumble to the ground.

Throwing her arms over her head she growled, "Holy crap!"

Gaara saw the thing heading for his village and looked down at the scene momentarily in shock. In the split second he glanced down, he saw his brother and Baki, but someone he had not expected looked at the clay mold in terror. Her voice seemed to rise above all of those calling out in fear and he narrowed his eyes dangerously. _No! Nothing is going to happen to her!_

The explosion sounded and Masao, feeling small bits of rocks bounce off her head instead of being incinerated, glimpsed the scene above them. A huge shield of sand barricaded the city preventing the kamikaze bird from destroying the entire village, and she stood up, watching it in wonder. "That's Gaara's sand," she breathed, taking a step forward with her hand to her mouth. _He saved us… But is _he_ okay?_

A huge rumbling sound erupted as the sand around him distorted and fell away from his body grain by grain. The sand barrier retreated as Gaara's form became more discernible amid the grains. "Gaara!" Kankurou called. He began to fall, lines fracturing along his face detecting where his armor had been cracked. The gourd he normally carried around on his back crumpled back into sand as he descended towards the ground, losing consciousness as he went.

"Gaara no!" Masao screamed as the strange attacker on the bird wrapped him in its tail like cargo.

_Their objective was Gaara! _Kankurou thought wildly. _Those bastards! _He started to follow the creature with Masao in close pursuit, but slowed down and glanced behind him as Baki called, "Kankurou! They were at a high enough level to defeat Gaara! You won't be able to do anything by yourself!"

"He's not alone!" Masao told him fiercely, almost running backwards as she tried to keep moving and listen to the sensei at the same time.

Baki growled, "Even with this little girl with you, you don't stand a chance!"

_L-_Little girl_? Impertinent subordinate! _Masao let that one slide though, annoyed as she was, but she vowed to later chastise him for it, as Kankurou replied intensely, "So you just plan to abandon Gaara!" He looked slightly taken aback.

"Don't say something like that!" She shot him an annoyed look and he cleared his throat. "Fine! Just follow them… don't take any action! If we can even get a hold of their base, we can form a group attack!"

"Ok! … If I can!" Masao trailed behind him, the same amount of anger he felt. She couldn't believe it. Gaara… he had been defeated because he helped the village. Finally, he was putting others before himself. He's changed so much since she had last seen the boy. But… what could have caused it? **She** certainly didn't (remembering painfully how he left), although she might possibly be a part of it. Her heart pounded against her chest as she strode alongside Kankurou.

Kankurou's eyes still trained on the bird he thought, _They've landed…_ He and Masao slowed to a walk as the painted boy looked around with a pained expression. "Wha… what's this! It's insane…" Scattered across the ground, dead, were a dozen Suna shinobi, blood spattered across the ground. Clenching his fist, Kankurou dashed ahead and Masao could barely keep up with him. "Wait!" he yelled at the retreating backs of the two Akatsuki members and the bird carrying the Kazekage.

Masao felt her heart tear. He was unconscious in the bird's tail with sand cracks all over his face; the jinchūriki looked as if he was dead, and it caused her body to shake with rage. She shouted, "Return Gaara to us!" They stopped moving and the shorter of the two turned to the taller.

"…Deidara… you go on ahead." He turned to face the two of them and Kankurou took stance.

He whispered, "Masao-kun, this guy's dangerous. Stay behind me." She scowled as he pulled out the three scrolls on his back and rolled them out before him. Written across them in heavy black ink were Karasu (crow), Sanshouuo (salamander), and Kuroari (black ant). _New puppets?_ she thought with a little bit of astonishment. He clapped his hands together in a seal and, in a cloud of smoke, the three marionettes appeared, looking extremely badass. Masao smirked. That guy has no chance in Hell against Kankurou.

"Puppet jutsu?" the man asked, looking slightly surprised. His cohort hopped aboard the bird holding onto Gaara.

He said, "Right… I'll head on… yeah."

"Like I'll let you go!" Kankurou told her as Masao shouted, "You wish!" He manipulated his Karasu after him as Masao pulled out a scroll with a good number of kunai appearing out of it and hurled it at the blond, only to have it blocked by the man's… creature's… strange wrought iron tail. Kankurou's crow was wrapped up in it and all of her weapons had been knocked aside like it was nothing.

He said, "Since I don't like waiting or making people wait, I'll end this quickly." _Oh, no… _Masao thought, clutching a shuriken tightly. _I have a bad feeling about this._

…**:oOo:…**

Kankurou lay on the ground next to his fallen comrade, panting as his body began to lose feeling. _My body is going numb…_ _No way, _He clenched his fist tightly in revelation as he realized the cause of the anesthetizing._ He uses poison too. _He looked over at his maroon haired companion, whose expression was that of complete and utter shame. Masao fought back tears threatening to spill from her eyes as the failure she felt enveloped her. She had been of no use to him at all. Her genjutsu had been completely cancelled out by this thing, and her ninjutsu attacks were all for naught. Akatsuki; clearly a group to be reckoned with.

The man said, as if almost commending Kankurou, "You plan was good… It's just not good enough against me. Your puppets' whole poison preparation mechanism is worthy of praise." His expression went from surprised to frustrated in a matter of seconds as he thought, _Why! This is the first time my puppet's preparation has been read into so deeply. _The man chuckled, "You have a strange look on your face… Why were your preparations known? It's because the one that created your puppet dolls, Karasu, Kuroari, and Sanshouuo… was none other than me!" His expression became shocked once more and Masao gasped.

_No way…! That can't be true!_

"A couple of cute youngsters like you being my opponents… It was the most fun battle I've had in a long time. Even you, little girl, should be praised for your genjutsu abilities and weapons skills." She growled at him and he raised an eyebrow.

"So… wait…" Kankurou gasped. "You're the one they called the Puppet Army's genius model creator, Sasori from the Red Sands, right!"

He chuckled again, "For my name to be known all the way down to a kid like you… is an honor." The lack of normally expected sarcasm in this man's voice shocked Masao. _What's this guy's game?_ she questioned uncertainly. She could hardly control her body's shaking from the effects of the poison, and looking at Kankurou he didn't seem to be having any better of a time than she was.

He asked furiously "You left the Sand over twenty years ago! Why?" _I was right. He's a missing-nin…_ Fortunately for her, she only had one missing-nin to deal with at the moment. That stupid asshole of a man, Kenji. But unfortunately now was not the time for reminiscing, and she could feel her body falling more and more exposed to the poison. God. Effing. Dammit. Angry tears swelled in her eyes as she glared at Sasori. If she died here, when that man came to Hell she'd kill him again.

Sasori lifted up his metal tail, a swishing sound emitting as the metal cut through the air, and said, "What good is it for a person about to die to ask that?" Masao felt her heart drop as the steel lashed out towards them, but Kankurou proved much more resilient than she had previously thought. He lifted his hand and blocked the tail with a piece of one of his puppets, and as Sasori was distracted by that as a knife popped out of a limb that Kankurou had moved as well. It tore the mask on his face in half as the Akatsuki member dodged it at the last minute and said, "Close…"

Kankurou tried to manipulate something else, but the limb rattled and banged onto the ground. "K-Kankurou-s-san?" Masao breathed, glancing at him with difficulty. One of his eyes was squeezed closed and he shook from exertion. _He's at the end of his rope…_

Sasori commented, "The poison is making its rounds." His tail made a clanking sound as it retracted back underneath his black cloak and watched him appraisingly. "Fufu, to be suffering like you are… If you want to live so badly, I won't kill either of you off here. However, that poison will kill you both in three days." Masao felt her vision start to go dark, her last remaining thoughts on Gaara. She felt awful, knowing she had let him down. _Please be safe…_

Someone in the background called, "Here they are! Over here! They're both down… And Kankurou's puppets are all in pieces!"


	3. Poisonous Rescue

Chapter 2: Poisonous Rescue

_Darkness surrounded her as she made her way down a dark tunnel she had never been in before. Masao glanced around blindly, as no light reflected off anything to help her see. The floor was hard and stone; and she felt along the similarly crafted wall. Something was up ahead, and although she couldn't observe it with her eyes she could feel it deep in her heart. It was something valuable to her, something she loved very much. Suddenly a bright light erupted from behind her, causing her to wince from the sudden change in lighting. Rubbing her eyes, she could barely make out amongst the spots deterring her vision a bright red mop of hair. But she was unable to discern who it was. The room went dark again, and a loud scream sounded._

She awoke to a strange sensation that she had never experienced before. Darkness surrounded her and she couldn't feel anything. She had no idea how long she'd been out, and her mind was so muddled she couldn't even remember what happened that made her unconscious. Something with Gaara. That was all she could evoke. Abruptly, an image flitted across her mind, and it brought on a whole new round of thoughts and emotions. Pain above all else, physical and emotional, as well as shame, sorrow, and an aching form of devotion she couldn't bear.

The reddish purple haired girl weakly opened her eyes, very slightly, and glanced, fevered, to the side. Someone she didn't know was laid on the bed next to her, looking as terrible as she felt. His profile became more focused to her blurred eyes, and she realized she **did **know him; he was just unrecognizable without his face paint. _**Kankurou**-san…_ He was sweating and shaking as much as she was, and she become conscious of something awful._ Oh no…He's poisoned too._ She clenched her fist, aching all over, and let out a pained stream of breath. _Dammit!_ How's she supposed to go save Gaara like this? Struggling, she tried to sit up, but was unable to even move at all and just lay there, feeling depressed. Another wave of pain washed over her and she moaned, clutching the bed cover.

God dammit! She had been such an idiot to let herself get hurt like that. Wasn't she better than that? She was supposed to be the Sorakage for God's sake! Shouldn't she be able to keep her whole village safe? Shit, she couldn't even keep herself safe. Failure ate at her insides, making her feel worse had only the poison been affecting her. "Kankurou!" a voice cried as the door slammed open. Then a surprised, "Masao-kun?" She recognized that voice, but her mind moved too slowly to put it with the correct face. She couldn't hear much after that. She could hardly breathe anymore, and a small feeling in the back of her mind told her she didn't have much time left. Silent tears dripped down her pale cheeks as the prospect of it reached her slowly dying brain. Suddenly, a sympathetic sigh reached her ears and she felt someone's hand press against her rib cage. The maroon haired girl sensed chakra flowing through, removing the intruder flowing inside her body. _Who…?_

"There!" the person to whom the hand belonged said with relief. It was a soft, almost musical girl's voice. "There's no need to worry about either of their lives any more. I've removed the poison directly from both of them." She could feel the effects of the medical treatment working almost instantly on her. The gears in her brain began to turn once more and her arms began to regain some of their old strength. She caught a few words of the conversation, her own name jogging her rejuvenating brain.

"Kankurou and this young girl, Masao, went after them alone. There were no others…" Baki explained to the silver haired jounin.

Sighing, the man asked, "…Then have we completely lost them?" The Sand sensei sadly replied the affirmative, and the always thoughtful Kakashi questioned, "Hmmm, well could you guide me to where Kankurou-kun and Masao-kun were fighting? Though I might not seem it, I am an expert at pursuit. Even if a small amount of their scent was left behind—"

"That is… not necessary." Kankurou's voice suddenly cut him off and Masao looked over at him, sitting up slightly. She carefully pulled herself up and looked around the room in confusion. Lots of people she didn't recognize met her eyes. Temari stood near her brother and in front of the beds stood two men. A cute boy with blond hair and blue eyes, and whisker-like lines on his cheeks, and a tall silver haired man with most of his face covered with accessories. By Kankurou's were two elderly sand shinobi. "There are two enemies. One abducted Gaara… You should follow Gaara's scent. Even assuming they split up, the other caught a bit of their clothing on Karasu's hand."

The silver haired man replied, "Making a success from a failure. You are indeed a shinobi from the Sand."

Temari stood next to him and cried placing her hand on his shoulder, "Kankurou are you OK?"

He nodded and replied, "Yeah… I'm feeling a bit better now…" His eyes rested on the blond boy from Konoha, and he looked moderately surprised. _Uzumaki… Naruto…?_

The blonde looked back at the Sorakage with a worried expression. "Masao-kun, are you all right?" She nodded and smiled weakly, but it vanished and she sighed. "This is a surprise visit."

"Hiya," he greeted the two interns with a small smirk. Masao tilted her head in confusion. _Who is this kid?_ She wondered.

The old woman asked, "Kankurou, are you absolutely sure that one of the two you followed was Sasori?" Masao shook her head and stared with slightly blurred vision at the door. She didn't want to hear any more about it. The memory just made her feel worse about her failure. A young pink haired girl walked in with two small bottles in her hands and smiled at the two of them. _Is this the one… who saved Kankurou and me?_

She handed one to Temari to give to the shuddering Kankurou and she walked over to the Sorakage. "Drink it all up…" she told her helping her gulp it down. Masao sighed as the girl said, "I believe you'll be fine now." She took on the air of a strict doctor and added to the two of them, "Now, until the paralysis ends don't move. Please get some sleep." Masao stared at the bed and clutched at the spread. _Great. I'm out for the count now._ _How in the _world_ am I going to go after Gaara now?_ She looked up at the three Konoha ninja. They looked capable enough, but that's not what she was worried about. **She** wanted to make sure Gaara was okay. **She** wanted to be the one to save him, to prove to him that he had made a bad choice leaving her behind. That she still loved him.

"Right!" Naruto said, pulling his discarded bag onto his back. "Let's hurry."

Kankurou looked down at his trembling hand and his face scrunched up. _To work hard and make your own path._ Gaara's words rang through his mind suddenly, as he watched Naruto with slight admiration. _Without running away to a lonely isolation. If I do that, then sometime, just like _him….

_Connections with other people, up till now, for me that had nothing but hatred and the intent to kill. And now, even _I _understand something. _

The blond shinobi handed his cherry haired friend her backpack. _Suffering and sadness… and joy. They can all be shared with someone else. Uzumaki Naruto, from fighting and interacting with him, this is what I feel he taught me. He knew the same suffering as I do, and so he taught me that I could change the way I live._

A bitter, but minute, smile had adorned his brother's face at that point. _When I felt I had someone to share them with, I was ignorant, without the knowledge I have now. Maybe if I had, in the end, things would have been different… for me… and for her._

Kankurou sighed, and his eyes half closed. "Uzumaki Naruto," he suddenly said. The blond glanced over at him and tilted his head. "Please save my brother." The boy grinned, and Masao instantly felt ten times better. Something about this boy… just made her feel brilliant inside. _Naruto…?_ _So that's this boy's name. _She smiled. It seemed to suit him quite well in her opinion

"Leave it all to me," he assured him with a smirk on his face. "Because I will be Hokage someday too! So I'll secure an advance favor from the Kazekage." Masao laughed slightly and Naruto glanced at her with a confused expression on his face. "I've been meaning to ask, lady, who are you?"

"My name's Ai Masao, I'm the Sorakage from Hikarigakure. Nice to meet you Uzumaki Naruto. If I can guess right, we're around the same age." She stuck out her hand and he shook it for a moment before what she said sunk in. A shocked expression replaced his pleased one and he pointed at her.

"No way! You're a Kage too!" Masao nodded slowly and he looked aggravated. "Argh! Why're all these guys becoming Kage before me? Now I have to try even harder to catch up to you, too!" She shook her head and rubbed at her temples to try to suppress a painful migraine. Sometimes she thinks that everyone is crazy, but at least these people are nutty in a good way.

"Well, I think you'll be Hokage one day Naruto-san. You have the character for it." She chuckled and he looked thrilled. Suddenly up in front of her, he seemed a tad overly excited.

He asked her excitedly, "Do you really think so Masao-chan? Do you really! Huh? Huh!" She knit her brow in slight astonishment and laughed nervously. _Wow, he's really energetic! But then again, we need more Kages like him I suppose._ Sakura pulled him back and chastised him for trying to stress her patient.

Just before they exited the hospital room Masao called, "Hey, Naruto-san!" He looked back at her with an expectant face. She smiled at him brightly and closed her eyes. "Yeah, I really think so." The jinchūriki laughed and waved goodbye to her. _Well, at least I know that Gaara will be in capable hands_. Masao glanced down at her own and clenched them in frustration. _Just not the right ones_.


	4. A Different Path

**A/N**: I don't own Taking Over Me by Evanescence. Which rocks.

Chapter 3: A Different Path

The Konoha shinobi stood near the outskirts of the village, about ready to depart to go find the Akatsuki lair and rescue Gaara. Each had a bag packed on their shoulder, and faced away from the village. They were leaving right then, because Gaara needed them as soon as possible now. Baki told them, "If you wait a little, we can have a skilled ninja here too." Kakashi raised an eyebrow as the three of them turned to face the Sand sensei.

"Really…"

Temari called to them, running up to the group with an unwavering expression on her face, "I'm going too!" She wasn't going to stay behind as three people go to save **her** little brother. She was determined to help as well!

From the roof of a structure someone called, contradicting her thoughts of going along with them, "Temari, stay here and work on the defense of the country border." Everyone looked up in surprise, Naruto placing a hand over his eyes so he could see, at the old woman, Chiyo as she stood on the top of building. "From the shinobi of the Sand, I will be enough."

Temari protested, slightly annoyed, "Demo…! Chiyo-baasama!"

"That would be too much for you," Baki commented.

Looking slightly aggravated, she replied, "Don't treat me like an old woman!" As she leapt off of the roof towards them, Naruto called in surprise, "She jumped!" He and Sakura yelped when she landed before them easily, and she glanced up at them, saying darkly, "I've wanted to give my cute grandson some love for a while now…"

A few annoyed objections broke out behind them and they all looked back to see a determined Masao striding towards them with a few medic-nin insisting she return to the hospital. "Leave me alone," she hissed at them. Stopping before Naruto she told him sternly, "If you want an advanced favor from the Sorakage you had better let me come with you!" His expression was slightly taken aback, and he looked at Kakashi and Sakura. "I want to help save Gaara!"

A surprised, but pleased, Temari smiled and said, "I think you should let her come with actually. I've fought with her before and she can be a great deal of help." She nodded determinedly and looked around at the rest of the Konoha ninja. She couldn't read what they were thinking from their expressions, but she tried to keep her hopes up.

But the Copy Ninja told her, much to her chagrin and her dashed hopes, "Masao-kun, I think you should stay behind on this. You're still not well enough to fight." Masao tried to protest, but the Sand kunoichi put a hand on her shoulder to silence her.

Sakura watched the girl curiously, and got a different vibe than just 'wanting to help'. She had an unrelated incentive for going with them, and even though Gaara was the reason for it, it was for a good motive and not a bad one. The cherry-haired girl bit her lip. _What other reason…? Why else could she possibly want to save Gaara?_

_Maybe_, a small voice told her, _for the same reason you want to save Sasuke… and Naruto_.

Kakashi, Naruto, Chiyo, and a confused Sakura vanished from their sights, Temari praying that the four will bring her kid brother home. The Sorakage clenched her fists, angry, and decided on one thing. She was going to go save Gaara with or without permission from anyone. She didn't have to listen to that old man!

The night passed with no trouble, but Masao couldn't get to sleep at first, with the thought of Gaara still fresh in her mind mixed with Kankurou's snores. She tossed and turned constantly, the bed creaking with every movement. How could she sleep when she wasn't even out there looking for the love of her life? Shaking her head, she tried to stop thinking about it. If she didn't, she'd be up all night. Finally, after taking some pain relievers that did indeed relieve her pain; she dozed off into a restless sleep.

-----------

_You don't remember me but I remember you_

_I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you_

_But who can decide what they dream_

_And dream I do…_

-----------

_Darkness surrounded her as she made her way down a dark tunnel. Masao glanced around blindly, as no light reflected off anything to help her see. She recognized this place, she's been here before. She recognized the feeling in her heart that told her something valuable was nearby. Suddenly a spotlight erupted from the ceiling, causing her to wince from the sudden change in lighting, once again. Rubbing her eyes, she could barely distinguish amongst the spots deterring her vision a bright red mop of hair. A loud shriek sounded, but the room didn't go dark again._

_Her heart pounded furiously when she realized it was her own voice that caused such a ghastly noise. She collapsed next to the young man, unable to form words. Her throat constricted, and she could hardly breathe. Tears and shivers shook her small frame violently. Mirthless laughter echoed in the background, taunting her. One word, one name, escaped her disbelieving lips in a heart wrenching scream. "_GAARA_!"_

Masao awoke sharply, drenched in cold sweat, the image of Gaara's death still fresh in her mind. The Kazekage's eyes were closed as if in sleep, and his expressionless face was even paler than usual. He looked completely unharmed, yet he was dead. No heartbeat, no breath, no movement of any kind. It was as if he had fallen into an unswayable slumber, never to wake again. A shiver ran down her spine, and she gulped back a scream she wouldn't have the strength to pull off anyway. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying for the image to go away. But it became even more discernable when she tried to make it leave.

-----------

_I believe in you_

_I'll give up everything just to find you_

_I have to be with you_

_To live, to breathe_

_You're taking over me_

-----------

The Sorakage was confused and upset. Was the dream some sort of warning? It left a bad taste in the back of her throat no matter what the reason for it was. She knew… she knew that something was wrong with Gaara. She didn't know how she knew, or why, she just **did**. It's one of those feelings you get, a foreshadowing of things to come, or of something that's starting to happen to someone you care about. Her eyes winced, causing a stray tear to escape down her cheek.

Sitting up, she glanced at the peacefully sleeping Kankurou apologetically. Sliding out of bed she tiptoed over to his and hesitated. Patting his unpainted forehead, she told him, "Gomen nasai, Kankurou-san… demo, watashi wa…" She shook her head and pushed her maroon hair out of her face. "I have to do this. Please understand, Kankurou-san, I want to help save Gaara…" Taking a deep breath she pulled her bag onto her shoulder from the side of the bed and cast him one last glance. "…And tell Temari-san that I'm sorry."

_I have to try. That's all I can do at this point. _She still felt slightly woozy but didn't let that stop her. She had an easy time of getting out since, obviously, the Suna-nin didn't expect medical wards to sneak out. Her leg throbbed painfully and she winced, glancing down at it in concern. _It hasn't acted up in a long while. This might be an issue…_

Gaara. All she could think about was Gaara. She needed to see him, talk with him, something. Everything had fallen apart at that last meeting, and here she was to pick up the pieces and fit them back together to form the picture again. She needed to find him. She had to. There was too much between them to push all of this away now. To pretend it never happened. Masao could never do that; she held Gaara too close to her heart to do that. But what she didn't understand was… why. Love was too complicated for her to understand at this point. Too difficult. "Well…" she murmured to herself, as she set off into the desert. "I hope I can knock some sense into that boy, so help me. He better pray that I go easy on his ass."

-----------

_Have you forgotten all I know and all we had?_

_You saw me mourning my love for you_

_And touched my hand_

_I knew you loved me then_

-----------

…**:oOo:…**

Kankurou awoke to a bright sunrise, with the pain almost completely alleviated. He took a deep breath of the morning air, and looked to the side of him to see if his friend was all right. It took a moment, but the empty, neatly made bed next to him finally clicked a switch in his just awakening brain. His eyes opened wide in shock and he shouted the name of the person he knew would be nearby. "Temari!" She burst into the medical room at her brother's call, glancing around in concern. He pointed to the tidy bed next to his and Temari started in astonishment. "She left while I was sleeping." She stared at the empty bed, not really surprised; gloomy, more than anything. _She had gone anyway, to go save him. Even though she was still recuperating. _Temari clenched her fists and stared at her sandals dejectedly. This was such a tortuous situation that she couldn't even begin to fathom it correctly. _Masao still loves Gaara… but does he still love her? What'll happen when they meet up again? _

She remembered all too well what happened last time. She had seen the tears sliding down the girl's face all that time ago. But… Gaara never spoke a word about her since. He never even acknowledged that he ever even knew her. Never. She sighed and glanced at her brother. _I hope something good can come of all of this._

Masao leapt to the next set of trees trying to make up about twenty-four hours of lost time_. Naruto-san's group left yesterday, but at the rate I'm going now I'll never catch up unless I keep all night as well!_ She pulled at her hair in aggravation. _Jesus! _If that guy, Kakashi, had just let her go whenshe wanted to she wouldn't be in this predicament! Naruto-san looked like he would have let her, but unfortunately Kakashi seemed to be boss. She snorted. Yeah, right. As if she'd let some **underling** tell her what to do. _I'm the Sorakage dammit! **ROAR!**_

-----------

_I believe in you_

_I'll give up everything just to find you_

_I have to be with you_

_To live, to breathe_

_You're taking over me_

-----------

A pulsate erupted in her heart as she started to push off the ground again, and she fell to her knees in shock. A feeling of dread pervaded every ounce of her body, and she clutched at her black shirt in shock. It throbbed again, and she suppressed a sharp cry of pain. It was the feeling again, the dreadful feeling that she got in her chest. _Something's… something's terribly wrong with Gaara…_ She could tell, and it hurt. The urgency she felt to get to him was stronger than ever before, and she wasn't sure if she could make it in time now…

Getting back onto her feet, Masao pulled her bag higher on her back she doubled her speed towards the direction where she found the residual chakra Naruto-san, Sakura-san, Kakashi, and Chiyo-sama left behind. It was faint, but she was ANBU, and could track almost anything. Narrowing her eyes, she leapt into the air on her way.

-----------

_I look in the mirror and see your face_

_If I look deep enough_

_So many things inside _

_That are just like you are taking over_

-----------

…**:oOo:…**

_Gaara looked around, seeing nothing but white surrounding him in an infinite room, the end of he just couldn't find. The infallible color blinded him slightly at first, but his eyes gradually became used to it. Glancing down, he saw a strange hand before him and narrowed his eyes in confusion. "…who is it…? This hand…?" He blinked and shook his head. "What is it…? …Is it my hand?" He sighed and clenched his fist. "Have I ever become an existence needed by anyone…?" Something in the distance caught his eye, and he squinted to try and discern who stood before him. It was like a reflection in glass, and he recognized the figure. "What…? What is that…? Is it me…?"_

_He stared at his mirror image, and it stared right back at him, only with a saddened expression instead of his own confused one. "That is the me… who wanted to be needed by someone. Why… why did I want that to come about…? Why… do I… want this?" The other Gaara gave him no reply, just watched him with those vacant eyes. He examined his face and shook his head again. "Those eyes… that nose… that mouth… Why… is that Gaara…? I was inside that… No…" He cut himself off, realizing another question that cancelled out his statement. "What was I originally?"_

_His other self seemed to get farther away as he asked, "It just… shared a consciousness with me… What is it… originally…?" His other self vanished into the white lights, and he couldn't make it out save for a small shadow in the distance. "A mere… small… sensation…" Before his world went dark, a person flashed before him, smiling and waving to him as if she really cared. He reached his hand out to her, but she was too far away to get to, and every step she took towards him only made her farther away. "Maybe… I _was_ needed…maybe…" He groaned, and then squeezed his eyes shut. _"Masao_…_"He fell to the ground on his back, dead; his life taken from him as his bijū was fully extracted from his body.

A voice said gravely, "It is done."

-----------

_I believe in you_

_I'll give up everything just to find you_

_I have to be with you_

_To live, to breathe_

_You're taking over me…_

-----------


	5. Never Give Up!

Chapter 4: Never Give Up! Naruto's Encouragement

Masao leapt into a large tree that was rooted before a great pond, and stopped there steadily and quietly. A large group of people stood on the water, and she silently pulled out a scroll, causing a fuuma shuriken to poof out of it. Preparing to strike, she carefully peeked through the leaves at the shinobi. A pair of silvery eyes glanced back at her, startling her, and she fell from the tree onto the water where she exerted her chakra to help her stay on the surface. "Masao-chan?" The Sorakage glanced up and saw the familiar blond waving at her and she blinked in astonishment. Picking it up and putting away her shuriken, she sighed and waved to him.

"I thought you stayed in the Suna Masao-san?" Sakura asked, furrowing her brow. Neji and Tenten glanced at each other and Lee watched Masao with interest. The maroon haired girl smiled nervously and scratched the back of her head.

She told the cherry headed girl with a slight smile on her face, "Well, Sakura-san, it's just one of those… things. When you really care about someone, you just have to do everything in your power to save them. Know what I mean?" Naruto's eyes opened wide in revelation and he glanced at Masao. _She… _He furrowed his brow in confusion, _and Gaara? I'm so confused!_

Sakura smiled, Naruto and Sasuke on her mind. "…Yes."

"Well," Pakkun, who had been leading Neji, Tenten, Lee, and Gai, said, glancing up at the silver haired jounin, "I think I'll just disappear since I'll just be in the way if I stay; I really wouldn't be any help."

Kakashi nodded and told the dog, "Pakkun, good work."

As the ninja canine vanished, the elder man in green spandex asked, "Right! First off, this barrier, eh, Kakashi? How do we take it out?" Everyone looked at the masked shinobi, whose expression released the impression of slight boredom.

"This particular 'Five Seal Barrier'," he started, "is created by tokens with the word 'kin' written on them placed in five places in the vicinity." He motioned to the white seal on the boulder above their heads and continued, "The 'kin' token you see in front of you, and the other tokens are in four other places. To remove the barrier, all of them must be detached."

Glancing around the blond jinchūriki asked, "So where are they? The other four?" Masao furrowed her brow. _So, all four 'kin' tokens must be removed at the same time, which means some of us need to split up while the rest stay here._ _But the biggest problem is finding the symbols._ She crossed her arms haughtily._ Knowing the Akatsuki, the tokens most likely aren't close by, which means we could take forever looking around for them. The longer we take, too, means the longer it is until we can get to Gaara._

"Kakashi-san," she started glancing to Naruto and Sakura's leader, "how do you recommend we find them? It could take awhile…" She trailed off when she realized the sensei wasn't listening, but looking at the pearl eyed boy of their group. Leaning over to see on the other side of Sakura, Masao realized he was doing some sort of seal she didn't recognize the use of.

"Neji-kun," he told the dark haired boy, and he nodded.

"Understood. Byakugan!" Veins protruded from his face, and Masao looked slightly taken aback. Lee smiled reassuringly at her, but she didn't feel very at ease. After a moment of examining the immediate landscape Neji narrowed his eyes and told the group of shinobi, "Found them."

"What?" Masao asked in shock.

Tenten shushed her as the Hyuuga continued, "On top of a rock about five hundred meters north-east of here… On a tree trunk, on a river bank, three hundred and fifty meters south-east… On a wall of rock about six hundred and fifty meters north-west… Inside a grove about eight hundred meters south-west…"

Again the Sorakage was astounded. "That's amazing." _That's curious… I wonder what that is…_ Masao pondered, watching Neji with inquisitiveness. Whatever is was, it was one of the most amazing things ever to her at that point. It means all the soon for her to see Gaara again.

"That's our Neji," the weapons master told her proudly.

Taking off his backpack, Gai-sensei unzipped it and pulled out a handful of little contraptions. "Right!" he said. "If it's that range, we'll use these radios! While we're taking Neji's directions, we can keep in communication, and we'll find the locations of the tokens!" Lee affixed his earpiece and microphone to his head band and tied the hitai-ate around his forehead. Neji and Tenten hooked the microphones on straps around their necks and slipped the earpiece into their ears.

The brunette said, tapping her radio, "Radio placement, okay!"

Giving Kakashi the thumbs-up, Gai told him, "Speed-wise, my team is faster. The frequency is one-seventy-four. Wait for our message!"

"It's up to you," he replied, snapping his own radio around his neck and turning it on.

Masao told them, "Good luck!"

"Team Gai! Let's go with the full power of youth! Scatter!" Then they were gone, leaving only a disruption of water behind to mark their leaving. Naruto clenched his fists, hating to have to wait. _Gaara…_ The maroon haired girl glanced around at the other four people, feeling slightly awkward and out of place here. All of them were sent here by their Hokage, but she decided to come of her own volition. And she wondered, was it the right thing to do? She knew Ryuki would be okay handling Hikari, but didn't the village come first? Was she being selfish deciding to leave and save Gaara? Talk of ethics and morality always confused her, so she didn't know the answer. The town always wanted their Sorakage to do things so she would be happy, that's why they practically pushed her out of the village to go to Suna. _But this… it seems wrong_.

"Sakura-san, it won't take them long will it?" she asked, trying to hide her anxiety and attempting to get her thoughts out of what she should do to be happy. The pink haired girl patted her shoulder in comfort and shook her head no.

"Don't worry Masao-kun. Lee's team is all jounin, they'll pull through." A question had been pulling at Sakura's mind since she met the young Kage, and she had to ask. Her aqua eyes meeting Masao's silver ones, the medic-nin asked, "Masao-kun, why are you so eager… to save Gaara?"

Masao froze, and looked at her newly found friend, unable to hide the pain sieving into her eyes at that moment. "I…" Sighing, she clutched at her elbows and stared at the ground. "Sakura-san, is there someone out there you'd be willing to do anything for?" The Konoha kunoichi nodded slowly, and she continued, "Gaara is that important person for me. I'd be ready to die for him if need be." She let out a small chuckle and admitted, "Don't ask me why, but it's true."

Naruto looked down at the ground, digesting the new information that had just been given to him. "So… you really care for Gaara… huh?" he asked her softly. Masao glanced at him and smiled surely. He nodded his head in comprehension, and looked even more determined than before. "Not just for me, or Suna, am I saving Gaara. But for you too, Masao-chan."

A tear slid down her cheek. "Arigatou, Naruto-san."

Sakura didn't want to say anything to upset the young woman any more, but she felt this might be an important thing to tell her. After all, if she… 'liked'… Gaara, then she had the right to know about what might happen to him, ne? If the Akatsuki are doing what they think they might be doing. "Masao-kun, there's something you need to know." The burgundy haired kunoichi glanced over at her, but before the cherry headed girl could finish, Gai's voice crackled over the radio.

"Right, everyone! Remove the tokens!"

As he peeled off the token, Kakashi told them, "We'll break in with a buttonhook entry. Sakura!"

"Okay!" She ran forward, pulling her hand back, and as the jounin leapt from the boulder pounded her fist into the stone. It cracked under the impact of her attack, and it crumpled into hundreds of small rocks. As it revealed the entrance, Kakashi stuck his first and middle finger forward, motioned for them to go. Chiyo, Masao, and Sakura leapt into the left, and the jounin, and Naruto hopped in to the right of the cave, hugging the wall to conceal themselves. Masao winced as her bad leg began to hurt again and she prayed it wouldn't get too much worse.

But when they got inside, two Akatsuki members were already there, as if waiting for them, a large clay bird sitting next to its creator. _Is it too late?_ the masked man thought anxiously. _Sasori… _Chiyo reflected, narrowing her eyes. But Masao wasn't worried about the two figures in the coats. Her eyes trained on the mop of red hair that was located beneath the blond. His eyes were closed as if asleep and Masao felt her throat constrict. It was… it was like in her dream. _He's… No! He can't be!_ "Gaara?" she choked out, her voice barely above a whisper.

The blond man asked, "Well then… which of you is the jinchūriki, I wonder? Mm."

A strange chakra emanated from Naruto, and Masao noted with apprehension the strange lines change on his face. His normally piercing blue eyes changed to red, with cat like pupils, and Masao bit her lip. _Naruto-san… what on earth?_ His canines grew longer, and he clenched his fists angrily. "You **bastards**! I'll smash you to pieces!"

The Sorakage recognized the other man, as Sasori commented, "That one." It was the strange one, with the tail, that she and Kankurou fought before. She looked at Naruto, the words he screamed burning on her lips.

"Well, it seems like it… mm."

Naruto glanced down at the Kazekage, his look of anger not receding, and roared, "Gaara, what are you doing, sleeping there lazily! Stand the hell up!" Sakura glanced at him with a horrified, yet confused expression. Masao couldn't stand it. She desperately wanted to believe what Naruto was saying. That he was asleep, not what she knew was the truth. Her body started to shake slightly in a desperate attempt to keep standing. "Hey! Gaara, are you listening to me!"

"Stop, Naruto," Kakashi told him gently. "You should understand." He wore a strained expression as it dawned on him; what he had frantically not wanted to believe.

"Yeah, yeah, don't you get it? He's, well, dead, mm?" At that, the shaking Hikari kunoichi fell to her knees, and threw up everything in her stomach. The pink haired girl glanced at her in alarm as she shivered awfully. Her greatest nightmare had come true now, and her greatest fear had been realized. Gaara was dead. Her stomach heaved again even though there was nothing in it, and she clutched her abdomen.

"…give him back…" She distinctly heard Naruto growl. "**Give Gaara back! You bastards! You took him away from a village that needs him, away from us, his friends!**" He shook his head violently in vehemence and finished, "**And from Masao, who loves him!**" Masao glanced up as he rushed forward in blind fury, but was soon stopped by the quick thinking Kakashi.

He soothed the jinchūriki, "Calm down. If you go rushing in there without thinking, they'll destroy you." He let out a strangled sound as he realized what his sensei was saying was true. Sakura put a hand softly on the maroon haired girl's trembling shoulder and tried to get her to stand, but her legs didn't seem to want to work. Shock still had its hold on her body, and Masao couldn't think straight anymore. _We're too late,_ was the only coherent thought running through her mind.

Sasori told his partner, motioning to Gaara, "I'll look after this one."

"It seems that jinchūriki wants to take this one back," Deidara observed. "Master, this'll probably make you angry but… I'll handle that jinchūriki, mm."

Angrily, Sasori reminded him, "The assignment is one person to one beast. Don't push it Deidara." _Beast they say_, Masao thought angrily, glaring at the dirt floor. _Beast…!_ She clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to suppress the urge to vomit again. They didn't know either of them. Neither Naruto nor Gaara. She barely knew the former, but from what she's seen she could surmise a lot about him. And Gaara… well that was self-explanatory. She loved him with all her heart and she knew he was no monster like everyone labeled him!

"Stop playing around bastards!" Naruto ordered, pulling a scroll from his pouch a opening it. A large shuriken popped from it and he clutched it tightly.

"Naruto-san, matte!" She aimed to warn him about Sasori, but he had thrown the shuriken before the words could leave her lips. The creature's tail knocked it aside as it had before, and she glanced at Naruto apologetically. "Gomen nasai," she whimpered, "I tried to say…"

She sniffed and rubbed at her tearing eyes. She was completely lost now. What was she to do now that Gaara was…? Stopping, she realized that she didn't even want to think about it. It was too painful for her to try. Too hard to try and accept. "Masao-kun, you have to move, you can't just sit here," Sakura tried to reason with her, attempting to pull her up.

"Demo, Sakura-san…" She mumbled, not moving.

Naruto heard her, and glanced back at her in disgust. "Don't give up that easily Masao-chan!" She stared up at him in shock and he clenched his hands. "Don't give in! You have to keep fighting for what you care about! Do you think Gaara would want you to act like this!" Glancing back at Gaara, she dried the tears on her cheeks, her resolve hardened slightly. Naruto was right. The Kazekage would be ashamed to see her like this so she wiped her face off and attempted to get up. Unfortunately, her empty stomach affected her a lot more than she thought.

"Deidara you little shit," Sasori commented, still watching the man angrily. "Are you trying to piss me off?"

He spoke matter-of-factly, "Well, then, I was right when I said I'd probably make you angry, mm!" Sakura thought in fright, _Without even glancing at the shuriken, he deflected it…_ "My fine art is explosions. Completely different from your little puppet show! Mm." The clay bird grabbed Gaara in its mouth and started to fly away, with Deidara jumping onto its back as Sasori tried to attack him with his tail. Slightly angry, Deidara told him, "See you master."

"Gaara!" Masao's voice came out asphyxiated as the blond flew through the entrance with Gaara in his bird's mouth.

Naruto followed, calling after him, "Wait the hell up!"

_Tch… Naruto never stops does he? _To Sakura, Masao, and Chiyo he told them, "Naruto and I will handle the one outside. Sakura, Masao and Chiyo, take care of this one… But until Team Gai gets here, try not to overdo it."

"Got it!" Sakura replied. Kakashi left after Naruto, and Masao glanced at the two women standing by her. She needed to get her act together if she was to help them at all. Before she made a move however, the puppeteer started.

Sasori glanced to the side and breathed heavily. "How long do you plan on standing there?" The three of them glanced to the side as a chuckle sounded.

"Gomen nasai Sasori-san," a voice replied, sounding quite humored. "I was just going to observe for a moment before I intervened. I can't let you and Deidara-san have all the fun, ne?" Masao's heart hopped into her throat as the voice she just heard registered in her mind. _No, it couldn't be! Not here!_ Shaking she turned her face towards where the tone came from, knowing what she would see there wouldn't be any good.


	6. Fighting for Love

Chapter 5: Fighting for Love

Masao glanced up from the ground, shell-shocked by the voice she heard from the shadows. A familiar face moved away from the darkened corner of the cave, smirking slightly in his black coat adorned with red clouds. Chiyo furrowed her brow and asked, "Who is that?"

Shakily, the Sorakage stood up and Sakura shot her a concerned look, supporting her by the elbow. "What the hell are you dong here, Kenji?" The missing-nin's smirk grew more pronounced and he motioned to the large hole in the stone wall where Gaara had been taken by Deidara.

"Why do you think Masao-sama?" he asked, honeyed sarcasm dripping from his voice. "I heard you were coming and decided to drop by to say hello." Masao glared at him, and he leapt into the air and through the entrance. She followed directly after, unable to be seen due to her speed. Sakura glanced after her in shock. She matched his pace easily as they flew through the trees, despite her bad leg acting up again. "I knew you'd come after your boyfriend," he laughed, dodging her angry kunai. She fell forward and placed her hand on a tree branch, doing a front flip on the limb as she used her free hand to throw a fuuma shuriken at the traitorous ex-Hikari ninja. He knocked it aside with a previously concealed blade, and thrust it at her with great accuracy.

Masao dropped to the ground, clutching her bleeding shoulder, and panting heavily from the exertion. "I should have known you'd join up with the Akatsuki!" she told him, wrapping a thin piece of white cloth around her shoulder. He readjusted the slashed hitai-ate on his forehead and shrugged.

"I may not be from one of the main five villages," he commented, whipping his sword through the air to clean the blood off. "But they seem to need my assistance after all." She snorted, the act causing her chest to hurt slightly.

"What assistance could you possibly give the Akatsuki?" This time it was his turn to snicker. And he did. Quite loudly and obnoxiously. She narrowed her eyes and he glanced at her, bringing his chortling down to a soft chuckle.

"Masao-sama, I'm a shinobi from Hikari. Which means I have information valuable to the Akatsuki." He threw a kunai at her and her at him, and they clanged in midair with a bright spark. While Masao was distracted, Kenji ran to the side and appeared behind her. She turned in shock, blocking the sharp edge with her hand. She grasped it, wincing as the blade punctured the skin of her fingers. "Well, you're stronger now Masao-sama."

"More so that you think." A doppelganger of her jumped from the canopy of trees onto him, jabbing a kunai into his arm. She twisted the sword from his hands and back flipped away as he examined the deep wound on his appendage. She landed upright at the edge of the clearing, throwing the sword into the ground. The blade quivered from the impact, and she held out a scroll that she swiftly pulled from her bag. She pulled it open and an enormous scythe burst from it. Grabbing it from the air, Masao spun it around her back and tapped in lightly on the moss forest floor. "You've never seen this one before Kenji. It's a new one."

"I've seen all of your scythe work Masao-sama," he corrected. She rolled her eyes and pushed off from the scythe, bringing the weapon with her and she swung it forcefully at Kenji. He slid out of the way and jumped into a backflip towards the very edge of the clearing. She smirked and fell into a particular posture that he realized he never saw before. Kenji narrowed his eyes, and felt a twinge of annoyance. _I should be _better_ than she is now. I was accepted into the Akatsuki dammit! _Now fueled by anger, Kenji did a series of hand signs, and Masao leapt forward towards him.

"Wired-Ice Jutsu!" Suddenly unable to move, Masao struggled against the wires binding her, powerless to break free. Chinks appeared along the thin metal, and she realized that they were becoming quickly coated with ice. Narrowing her eyes, she did a single hand sign behind her back and fell to the ground, grunting in pain.

"Doton: Doryuu Taiga!" The land beneath Kenji suddenly swayed, creating a large mudslide beneath him. He fell to the ground and the wires around Masao snapped. She shrugged them off and rolled away, grabbing her fallen scythe as she went. He stood up, covered in mud and looking calm. Masao leapt into the air and swung her scythe at him. Just when she thought she got him, he disappeared and she cursed. Suddenly Kenji was by her, knocking the scythe from her hands and sharply swinging a kunai at her face.

Releasing the weapon and the kunai nicking her on the cheek, she dived from the spot to the right, grabbing the sword she stuck into the ground awhile before and stood up in place. Suddenly the kunoichi fell to the ground, her injured leg giving out. _Damn_, she thought, using the stolen sword to hold herself up. The side of her head was bleeding and her headband she saw had been cut off when he swiped at her, slitting her cheek.

He scoffed, "Do you see how foolish you're being Masao-sama?" Ignoring him, she wracked her brain for something, anything that could help her. Then she remembered something that used to happen when they were younger, and smirked. If he hasn't changed too much, then she had one chance. His ego.

"And why," she countered, twirling the sword easily in her fingers and resting the blunt edge of the blade on her shoulder. "Do you serve an organization that would just as easily get rid of you?" He narrowed his eyes and pulled his straw hat off, dropping it to the ground. His black hair was rather short now, and left dangling around his face in black clumps. Masao pointed the sword at him, and smirked. "You're not even a real member! I don't see your Ring…" He growled angrily, letting her see his emotions on his sleeve. _Too easy…_ "You never should have taught me how to swordfight, Kenji."

He pulled out another sword from under his cloak and they stood in identical poses facing each other, his face back to a calm demeanor. "Why do you even bother Masao-sama?" He questioned after parrying her first few blows. "You're worthless as ever I see."

"Worthless?" She laughed. "Yes, I'm the worthless one Kenji! Let me tell you! I run around in girly little cloud cloaks and paint my nails purple, too. Oh! I also murder people's friends for power! Yes, **I'm** the worthless one!" Her tone had gotten sharper by the end of the sentence, and she held up the sword again and frowned. "I'm so worthless, Kenji, that I'm still Sorakage, and I'm respected more than you ever were!" With that she leapt forward and the two leaned on each other's swords, unable to overpower the other. Their foreheads were close enough to knock together at that point.

"Before you met that beast and before Raiden died you were an amazing shinobi," he told her as they pushed off. Masao flew backwards and tilted her body so her feet flew in front of her. She kicked off from a tree and Kenji leapt from the ground. They met in midair and he brought his sword handle up in an attempt to hit her in the face. Predicting his maneuver, she ducked down in-flight and grabbed his leg. With a cry she flung him quickly down towards the ground and, performing a sharp spin, chucked her sword after him. He did a speedy series of seals and her eyes opened wide. Pulling back her sword by the wire she had connected it to, Masao watched as Kenji hit the ground in a puff of smoke. As it cleared, her suspicions were confirmed as a log lay where his body had been.

"You were always good at running away," she taunted, landing on a tree branch and glancing around. A sizzling sound started behind her, and she cursed. _Jigen bakudan!_ She leapt away and latched herself onto a branch across the small clearing from the exploding sutra, the sword held in her mouth by the grip.

A voice noted from above her, "Your senses have dulled Masao-sama." She looked up and saw him standing on the branch tapping his chin in thought. The claret haired girl quickly pushed herself away and tumbled as she hit the ground with her hurt leg buckling out from under her. Glancing down, she saw that blood had begun to soak through the white bandages and sighed. _Things are getting harder… This is way outta hand; I have to finish it quickly. _"Ah, didn't your boyfriend give you that?"

"Shut the fuck up," she spat at him, holding the blade out as she prepared to strike.

"Ah, I seem to have hit a nerve," the black haired man observed. Their swords clanged together again, but when she pushed away this time she leapt up instead of to the side. He watched her go noting her movements closely. She pressed against the bottom of a high branch and kicked off twirling her blade around, she managed to scrape him a tiny bit, but he just parried her blow again. Frustrated, she ran forwards with a cry and aimed her sword at his chest. Holding his own out, he chuckled and she narrowed her eyes angrily.

Blood splattered onto the grass, and a cough sounded, causing more crimson liquid to spill to the ground. Masao let out a soft chuckle as she touched the steel blade rammed through her stomach. "Well, this is inconvenient," she commented amiably.

"I still don't understand why you try so hard Masao-sama…" He looked over her pale body and shook his head. "See where love got you in the end? Killed." She laughed heartily and, clutching the sword, attempted to pull it from her front. Kenji maliciously pushed it in farther until she was touching the handle of his weapon. "Never did I imagine seeing **you** spiked on the front of my own sword…"

"Well then," she told him, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, "I suppose our definitions of 'the end' differ quite a bit then Kenji?" He knit his brow in confusion and watched her suspiciously. "Love is what gives me the strength to beat you!"

Kenji asked, "What the hell are you talking about?" Suddenly Masao vanished in a cloud of smoke, and he looked slightly taken aback. He sensed a presence behind himself, but before he could do anything a slim piece of metal had been pushed through his back and out his chest. His mouth gaped open in shock when maroon hair met his gaze. He fell off the tree branch with Masao landing next to him on the ground. She shoved the sword farther into him, pinning his body to the ground. His face was deathly pale now and blood dripped from his chest onto the ground. He watched the Sorakage powerlessly as she fell backwards next to him, panting slightly. "That was amazing Masao-sama."

"Shut up, bastard," she ordered him, trying to catch her breath. "Just shut up. I don't want to hear your voice any more." Kenji smiled mindlessly and laughed, blood pouring from his mouth. Just laughed. Masao looked at him with a cocked eyebrow.

He told her, "This had been quite fun Masao-sama. I'm glad we got to spar one last time, heh. Give Ryuki-san my regards." With his smile still in place, Kenji's heart stopped pumping, and his breath ceased flowing out of his mouth. The Sorakage watched him dispassionately, his corpse doing nothing to the coldness and hate she felt towards him. Pulling the foil from his back she took quickly dug a shallow hole in the ground and shoved his carcass into it.

"Yes… it was quite fun wasn't it Kenji-kun?" she murmured, kicking the dirt back over the body. "At least, now, no one will ever find you. Not that anyone would ever look for you." She glanced towards the west, where she knew a large ravine to be and felt a familiar chakra there. _Time to go help Naruto-san…_ Then she was gone, a small puddle of blood from her leg to mark that she was ever there.

…**:oOo:…**

Masao burst from the forest to see Naruto atop the clay bird with that man, Deidara. He attacked the Akatsuki member, causing the blond to leap off his bird, and Naruto blasted the head off of the thing. _Yes…_ Kakashi thought. "Naruto, I've got him!" Masao cried, jumping up. The blond saw her and nodded, leaving his other shadow clone to help her out. Masao leapt underneath the decapitated bird head and landed with it on a tree. "Gaara!" she screamed at it, tearing the clay apart with her hands. _Please be okay_, she begged silently, trying to get through. _Don't be dead, please! _When the hole was large enough, she and the Naruto double glanced inside. Gaara lay there, unmoving, and Masao could feel tears swelling up in her eyes at the sight.

Her blond friend put his arms under Gaara's and pulled the Kazekage out. The burgundy haired girl felt tears drip down her face, and the Naruto replica glanced at her. "Hang in there, Masao-chan. Just hang in there." She nodded and wiped the tears away, holding Gaara close to her chest and resting her cheek on his soft red hair. She didn't know what else to do than to simply hold him there, secure by her. His body was cold, but she couldn't help herself. She wanted to see Gaara again, so badly, but… not like this. Oh God, **no** not like this!

Abruptly, a strong aura met her senses and she glanced down to a frightening sight. "Naruto-san…!" He sat on a large rock ledge and around him red chakra made a strange shape, like… tails. "He is… a jinchūriki… too?" The silver haired jounin noticed, and took out a seal given to him by Jiraiya-sama. He leapt forward and pressed it to Naruto's forehead, suppressing the chakra from coming out any more than before. Behind her, Masao heard a commotion, and turned to see the other team from before attacked Deidara. The brunette, Tenten, threw with amazing accuracy three shuriken and kunai, all of which he was too fast to be hit by. Neji, Lee, and Gai followed after, and the blond stopped by his decapitated bird.

Deidara sank his teeth into the clay and pulled a bit out. Swallowing it he proclaimed, "Take a look at my ultimate work of art! Art is a bang!" The man began to expand and upon examining him with his Byakugan Neji thought, _The chakra's all gathering in one spot at once…! He couldn't be…_

Neji screamed to all of the shinobi nearby, "Everyone, hurry! Get away from here!" Everyone complied, Kakashi pressing a palm against his Sharingan, as the man began to expand grotesquely. Masao and Naruto grasped Gaara and, glancing at each other in agreement, flew from the branch. A huge explosion started to erupt, as the desperate Deidara began to self-detonate!


	7. Resurrection!

Chapter 6: Resurrection! Gaara and Masao: Reunited!

_Too late!_ Neji thought as Masao and Naruto's doppelganger each clutched one of Gaara's arms, jumping away from the self destructing man. Suddenly, as the dust settled, Deidara was gone, leaving in his place a large crater in the ground. "What's going on?" Gai asked, shocked as the rest of the shinobi looked on. Tenten sensed something behind her and glanced back, seeing the two with the redhead. A small rip in space lurked where the artist had previously been, getting smaller and smaller revealing where the blond had gone.

_Somehow_, Kakashi thought, panting heavily, _I made it in time._ Gai glanced at the tired man and smirked. _I expect nothing less from my rival._ Suddenly, the silver haired man fell backwards and the real Naruto ran forward to him. "Are you all right, Kakashi-sensei!"

Sakura asked, surprised, as she clutched onto Chiyo, "What in the world did you do?"

"Him and the explosion," he explained, still panting, "I sent them to another dimension." He shifted slightly on the ground. "More importantly, is everyone safe?" A thud sounded behind them and Sakura turned in shock to see Masao and a Naruto clone holding Gaara's limp body.

The double said desperately, "Sakura-chan…"

…**:oOo:…**

They had all moved to a grassy field out of the forest; Sakura helping Chiyo, and Gai aiding Kakashi. The spandex wearing sensei had set the masked shinobi on the ground, and his team stood behind them. Masao stood with Naruto as Sakura examined the unmoving Kazekage. She clutched Naruto's blue sleeve helplessly, and he shot clandestine, worried glances at her every few moments. Her silver eyes were faded, as if she had nothing else to do with herself then watch the man laid out before her. "Sakura-chan…" Naruto said, uncertain. She looked away from the redhead and stood up sadly. Masao collapsed to the ground as the rest of the group looked on despondently at the deceased Kazekage.

She buried her face in his chest and cried. Silently, but everyone could see the tears dripping from her cheeks and through her fingers. Naruto looked back and forth between her and Gaara, a drop of water sliding down his face. "Why… was Gaara… always Gaara…?" He clenched his fist tightly against his leg. "To die like this…! He's the Kazekage! He didn't just become Kazekage…!"

"Relax, Uzumaki Naruto," Chiyo told him, a slightly cold tone in her voice.

Rounding on her, Naruto screamed, "**Shut up!**" Tears poured down his face at a much faster rate now, and Masao looked up at him in astonishment, her own still falling in rivers down her pale skin. Chiyo looked shocked at his sudden outburst, and said nothing. "If you shinobi of the Sand hadn't put a monster in Gaara, then nothing like this would've happened! Did any of you even try to ask Gaara how he felt!" Masao felt her face scrunch up as she looked on Gaara's, grasping that no ever had. She and Naruto were practically the only ones who ever worried enough about him to care how he felt. "What is jinchūriki anyway! You just arrogantly made up that word to call them!"

"N-Naruto-san," she choked around her tears. She glanced over at Gaara as Naruto cried, wiping his face off on his jacket sleeve. He watched the young woman, whose face adorned the heartrending water that Gaara's death forced upon her.

Sakura said softly, "Naruto…"

"I couldn't save Sasuke," he sobbed, "and I couldn't save Gaara. For three years… I trained desperately… But nothing's changed since three years ago has it?" He squeezed his eyes closed. "He was killed when people needed him the most! His village, us, and… and Masao!" She felt her throat contract terribly as she watched the distraught young man. "No one should ever have to see someone they love dead…" Abruptly the old woman got up and walked over to Gaara's dead body. She slightly tapped Masao's head, and, as she moved away from Gaara's chest, Chiyo placed her hands on his chest, she focused her chakra into her hands down into his body. Naruto glanced back at her in shock. "…What are you doing?"

Sakura, looking surprised, asked her, "Chiyo-sama! That jutsu is…!" The Sand elder squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating. _Chiyo-sama…_ the cherry haired girl thought sadly.

"What're you trying to do now?" Naruto accused, his tears dry from his face. His Byakugan activated, Neji questioned, uncertain, _Medical ninjutsu?_ Chiyo's words rang through Sakura's mind, the medic-nin gasped softly. _There is still something… that I… must do… _Her eyesscrunched slightly as she realized the meaning behind the old woman's words. _This is what Chiyo-sama was talking about…_ _Exchanging her own life…_

Gai said, recognizing what she was doing, asked softly "That's…"

Nodding, Kakashi replied, "Yes…"

Still confused about what was going on, Naruto demanded brashly, "What the hell are you doing!"

Glancing over at her blond friend, the medic-nin answered, "She's bringing Gaara back!" Masao glanced up in shock, wiping the tears off of her face. Her eyes met Sakura's and she shook her head slightly in disbelief.

"Bring him back?" she questioned, glancing at the pale redhead.

The Kyuubi container asked, "Can you… really **do** something like that?"

With a strangely miserable look on her face, the cherry haired girl replied, "This jutsu is Chiyo's alone…" Neji, still looking on, thought skeptically, _That chakra flow… I cannot believe such a convenient jutsu exists… Perhaps…_

_It carries a risk. One that equals the effect_, Kakashi realized, his Sharingan examining the technique.

Chiyo groaned, her chakra flow slowing down and becoming smaller. "Damn…!" she cursed, "Not enough chakra!" She panted heavily, realizing that she wasn't going to be able to pull this off without a significant amount of more chakra.

"Please… use my chakra…" Naruto told her, much to her astonishment. "Old lady, can you do that?" Masao stumbled forward, holding her own hands out, "Me too, Chiyo-san. I want to help." The old woman glanced back and forth between the two, hardly able to believe her ears. What Kakashi told her about the blond came back to her…

_Gaara-kun is a jinchūriki like him. So Naruto understands Gaara's feelings more than anyone from the Sand. A jinchūriki is treated the same no matter what the village. That's why… he can't just leave him. Whether Konoha or Suna, it doesn't look like it matters to him. _

And what Sakura said about the claret haired girl…

_Masao seems to understand Gaara a little bit better than most people, of course not as much as Naruto, but she does understand more than say… me. She's… willing to do anything to get to him, no matter what the cost. She's not even from Sand; she's from a small village called Hikari. _

Chiyo's expression became determined and she told the two, "Put your hands on top of mine." They complied and seeped their chakra though the Sand elder's hands, giving her more power to complete the jutsu. Kakashi's praise didn't stop there either. It seems Naruto is someone to be admired…

_Naruto's dream is to become Hokage. When he heard that Gaara was Kazekage, he was somewhat upset. …But on the other hand, he also gave him a happy blessing from his heart. Naruto has a mysterious power… Even without saying much, he can become friends with anyone quickly._

And the little girl, from some undistinguished village no one's ever heard of. Sakura's words for the girl were high, and Chiyo finally saw why. The girl's determination was unbelievable…

_Her left leg it so beat up it's a wonder she can stand anymore and not even medical ninjutsu can cure something like that. Yet she still tries anyway, despite the pain, because she loves him. She wants to make a difference in his life I think, to show him he doesn't have to be alone anymore. That's what I learned about her._

"I'm glad people like you appeared," she commented to Naruto and Masao, who glanced up at her. "In this world of shinobi that we old people created…" She watched Gaara with oddly pale eyes. The two watched her in surprise. "In the past, it seems everything I did was mistaken. But… at the very end… It seems I am able to do the right thing. Sand… and Konoha… and Hikari," Masao's eyes widened at the name of her own village. "Their futures are differing form our pasts.

"What Kakashi said, your mysterious power… That power may change the future. Become a Hokage like never before." The woman directed her speech towards the tearing Sakura. "And Sakura, do not risk your life for an old hag like me next time. Save that which is important to you. You are… a lot like me. There are not many women with chivalrous spirits matching those of men. You may become a kunoichi surpassing your own master. And I believe you can aid Gaara with his life, Masao. Stay by his side, always. I think you can give him the love he deserved since he was a small boy.

"Naruto, Masao, a request from an old hag. Naruto, you are the only one who can know Gaara's pain; Gaara also knows your pain. And you, young lady, you claim to love him, ne? That must mean you understand him pretty well. You two, help Gaara out." Naruto and Masao glanced at each other and nodded, closing their eyes and adding their chakra to Chiyo-sama's.

_A much younger Naruto stood by all of his friends, with a smaller Masao and her group nearby. They glanced at each other and nodded, turning around and running away from the people, much to their surprise. Holding hands, the two friends ran into the white space, searching for someone precious to them. "Gaara!" she shouted, him calling soon after. "Gaara!"_

"_Who is it…? …Who are they calling?" He glanced down at his hand and thought, "…who?" He shook his head. "This hand…My hand again…"Clenching his fist he glanced up and saw someone positioned a ways away from him, kneeling down in sorrowful tears. "My hand… me?" The boy was all alone, saddened by his loneliness. No one… no one wanted him. No one needed him. No one loved him. _

"_I… who am I? I am…" A hand was placed on both of his shoulders and he looked to the sides to see a small girl with maroon pigtails in pink on one and a spiky blond haired boy in blue on the other, both smiling at him. They turned older, the pigtailed girl's hair down and shoulder length, a Hikari headband across her forehead, and the boy getting taller, his outfit turning to a blue and orange jumpsuit and a Konoha headband added to his entourage. Gaara recognized his… his friends. Masao and Naruto._

"_Gaara," they finished for him, smiling softly._

He finally found his voice and said, "Naruto… Masao…" Glancing around with wide eyes he saw an enormous group of people surrounded him, all of whom look relieved beyond words. With his life back in him again, Gaara woke up to find a scenario he sought, yearned, and dreamed for, one where he had become needed in his village. "This…" Masao laughed and Naruto furrowed his brow happily.

"Everyone came running to save you!"

Punching his shoulder lightly the Sorakage playfully chided, "Hey, you put us through a lot you know, Gaara! I was really worried about you!" She mussed his vermillion hair and he blinked in astonishment, unsure of what to say.

Stepping up from the group, Kankurou nodded, surprising the poor boy even more, and agreed with her. "For sure. You're the little brother I always have to worry about, eh?" Masao laughed slightly and spotted Temari nearby, crossing her arms.

"Hey," she started, her eyes closed in exasperation, "don't go getting all complacent. Gaara's still the Kazekage, so don't be so cheeky. You underlings!" Naruto and Kankurou shot her annoyed looked, and the Jounin nudged Masao with a wink. "Except you of course Sorakage-sama." Pushing the blond jinchūriki out of the way she leaned forward to her little brother and asked, concerned, "Gaara, how are you feeling?"

Placing a hand on his knee the Kazekage tried to stand, but groaned. Worriedly, Masao told him, "You shouldn't be in such a hurry to move. You're not completely healed yet!" He glanced back at her, hesitant. She gave him a half-smile, and patted his shoulder again. Gaara felt his cheeks color very slightly and averted his eyes away from her. Temari looked back at a couple of girls who were talking and sweat dropped as they ran that way.

The light haired one called, "Next time for sure, I'll get Gaara-sama out of whatever mess he's in!" While the dark haired one called, "No me!" The protective older sister of the Kazekage prevented the fan girls from getting to him, but was unable to stop them from knocking Naruto to the ground.

The brunette of the two asked, pointing at Masao, "Where does she get off?"

"Yo," Masao glared at the two, her hands on her hips. "I'm tired, hurt and at the end of my patience! I would like to spend some quality time with Gaara, so **GO AWAY** **WOMAN!**" The girls looked astonished, as Temari explained the situation to them with very little detail, practically saying that Masao was Gaara's girlfriend without actually using those words. Gaara blinked in astonishment at Masao, uncertain of what to think and trying to suppress the slight feeling of pleasure at her possessive attitude.

Sighing, Masao knelt by him, examining his pale face very closely. "Are you sure you're okay?" He nodded and she breathed with relief, running a hand through her claret locks. "That's good. I was really worried about you. If you ever do that again expect to get a good tongue-lashing, you understand m-me?" He glanced up at her in surprise at the cracking of her voice and saw tears pouring heavily down her cheeks.

"M-Masao..." She hugged him close, causing Gaara to blush and making the girls frown. _**No**.** Fair**_.

"…Chiyo's passed out from tiredness now, but she'll be fine when she gets back to the—" Naruto started a few feet away, but Kankurou cut him off with a despondent no. Masao sighed and looked back at the unaware blond, tightening her hold reflexively on Gaara's sleeve. The redhead glanced at her pained face then back at the ground. "What d'you mean no?"

Kankurou explained, his face scrunched in depression, "That was no medical ninjutsu, Naruto." He glanced back at her, disbelieving. "It was a tensei (life transfer) ninjutsu. Chiyo, she's… she's dead." A look of horror crossed his features, soon replaced by one of incredulity.

"What are you saying?" he asked, his voice wavering.

Kankurou replied, "A ninjutsu that restores life in exchange for the user's own." Neji, Tenten, Lee, Gai, and Naruto all looked at him in silent alarm as he explained, "At one time in the Sand's Puppet Squad, people tried to research and develop a jutsu that would give life to the puppets. Chiyo led that." He glanced at the old woman, whom was being held by Sakura, and sighed. "She worked out the theory behind the jutsu. But in the process, saying that the risk of the jutsu was too high, even before experimentation, it was designated a forbidden jutsu and sealed away."

His eyes widened as her previous words ran through his mind, _What Kakashi said, your mysterious power to alter people. That power may change the future… Become a Hokage unlike any before…_

_Chiyo-sama_, Sakura thought, holding tightly onto the old woman she had come to adore. She just couldn't accept it, yet she knew that in the end she would have to. There was nothing that could bring the old woman back to life. "'I'm just playing dead.'" the deceased woman's brother commented, looking on his sister. "I keep expecting her to laugh out loud and say that…" He examined her face and blinked, commenting, "Hmm… such a peaceful expression she has now."

The cherry haired girl tightened her grip on the old woman's arm, and replied softly, gentle tears flowing down her face, "…Yes." Masao felt her own start to stream down her own skin as she and Gaara glanced over at the two. The Kazekage turned his gaze to the Sorakage and gently wiped her cheeks off with the back of his hand. She looked up at him, but he made no reply. His eyes slid closed and he fell forward, trembling slightly.

"Gaara-sama," one of the girls commented worriedly, reaching out for him.

He replied shakily, "It's okay." Naruto grasped one of his arms, helping him up, and the two of them along with Masao walked over to where Sakura-chan sat with Chiyo-baasama in her arms. She glanced up at them, tears still wet on her cheeks. The three watched her with depressed eyes. Without taking his blue orbs away from his savoir he said softly, "Everyone, say a prayer for Chiyo." They all bowed their heads in respect for their loved companion.


	8. Empty Spaces

Chapter 7: Empty Spaces

Graves stood at even intervals, marking the passage of deceased individuals onto the next life. Naruto and Sakura stood before one of them, watching the stone tablet with sad eyes. Engraved in the stone was the word _Chiyo_. They watched the grave solemnly, thinking about the individual that the stone marked. The Sand Siblings, Masao, Gai's team, and Kakashi stood back from the two, watching in the background. Though he didn't want to, Lee told them, "Sakura-san, Naruto-kun, we're about to leave now."

The blond nodded and replied, "Right! Let's get going Sakura-chan." The wind began to blow and the kunoichi took one last look at the grave and ran her hand along the top. Sadly, she moved away from it, thinking, _Chiyo-sama, arigatou._

The sun beat down brightly on the scene in front of the entrance to Sunagakure. The wind blew the sand gently around the ankles of those there, and rustled the hair and clothes of said ninja. Team Gai: Hyuuga Neji, Tenten, Rock Lee, Maito Gai; Team Kakashi: Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi; and the Sand siblings: Temari, a hoodless Kankurou, and Gaara. Also a strange addition to the group, Ai Masao, from Hikarigakure, standing next to the Kazekage with a small smile on her face.

"See ya," Kankurou said to them, his arms crossed across his chest.

Naruto, looking startled, replied, "Y-yeah…" His blue eyes met Gaara's aqua ones and the blond scratched his cheek indecisively. "I guess this is when you normally shake hands and part ways but… I'm bad at the kind of thing! So…" Surprised, Naruto cut off when Gaara extended his right hand to him. Masao smiled quietly, along with the rest of the group, even Neji.

He hesitated, watching Gaara uncertainly, and Masao bit her lip. _C'mon Naruto-nisan! It won't kill you!_ She noticed him glance down at his hand and followed his gaze. She smiled once more when she saw the sand Gaara lightly wrapped around his hand. The former jinchūriki lifted his hand up, and the current one smiled softly as they grasped each others hands. "Sakura-nechan," she said to the pink haired girl. "Thanks."

"Same to you Masao-kun," she replied, hugging the maroon haired girl. "Good luck with Gaara," she added in a whisper. Masao nodded and glanced back at the rest of the Konoha shinobi.

"Thank you all, for helping bring him back." She kissed Neji and Lee's cheek, shook Kakashi, Gai, and Tenten's hand, and embraced Naruto tightly, who scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. The all of them glanced at the redhead, who simply shrugged, meaning that this was standard Masao conduct. "Especially you, Naruto-nisan…" she told him in an undertone as she hugged him, "for understanding him when I couldn't be there." He smiled at her as she let go, and waved farewell as they turned to leave. The four watched the group vanish into the swirling sand; back on their way home.

"Now what?" Kankurou asked. Temari caught his eye and jerked her head for them to leave. He smiled lopsidedly and nodded, vanishing after his elder sister. Gaara turned, sensing that they were gone, turned around in surprise. Masao suddenly jumped on him in a hug, burying her face in his shoulder.

_I'm not afraid to go backwards_

_Fix what we broke_

_My gaze falls behind_

_You make desire seem so easy_

_I hold off sleep_

_It's so silent without you here_

_Can't give up now_

_It would all be for nothing_

She scolded, "Don't ever do that again, baka!" He looked at her hair in slight surprise, but made no move to return the embrace. "I was really worried about you." He glanced at the ground and she pulled back, looking miffed. Pouting she asked, "I risk my **ass** for you and this is the thanks I get? You being a coldhearted bastard again?"

'_Cause I believe in second chances_

_I believe the years forget_

_So let me fill these empty spaces_

_Better late than never / I'll stay forever_

_Let me fill this empty space_

'_Cause there's always room for one more mistake_

Gaara blinked and sighed. "Masao, I'm grateful, really I am. And I thank you for helping Naruto and the rest of the Konoha shinobi. But now that it's over I really think you should…" He trailed off when he noted her angry expression and took a step back in shock.

"Nothing you say is going to make me leave," she told him harshly, pressing a finger to his chest. "I've been thinking for the past year and a half, Gaara, and I swear to God or whoever's out there I will **not** be separated from you **again**!" The redhead was speechless. He didn't know how to respond to that at all, even though he felt… he felt the same way. He didn't want her to leave. He never wanted to be separated from her in the first place, but instinct told him it was the right thing to do. "And," she continued, as if reading his mind, "you can't use the excuse of 'being a monster' anymore. Shukaku's gone now, so what's your justification this time, huh!"

Gaara's eyes gaped open slightly, watching the Sorakage's angry face in trepidation. She glared at the ground, and a tear dripped down her nose into the sand. "Masao…" he said worriedly, reaching a hand out to her awkwardly. "I didn't mean…"

"I'm sure you didn't mean it Gaara," she replied, wiping her face off. "But you did it anyway." She stomped her foot angrily and glared at him with teary eyes. "Why the **hell** can't you just accept that I love you!" He felt his cheeks color, and turned away to hide it from her, but she saw it. And felt relief blossom in her heart. "Why can't you accept it?"

_Can you feel that?_

_I think we're moving in the right direction_

_I was someone else then_

_I'd take it back if you would let me_

"I…" he replied, watching the sand dance across the ground as the wind picked up. "Masao, I just…" He turned around and sighed, running a hand through his vermillion hair, the scarlet color on his cheeks extending up to the bridge of his nose. "I just don't want anything to happen to you…"

She shook her head. "What could happen?"

"**Anything** could happen Masao," Gaara replied exasperatedly, trying to retain a calm demeanor and rationalize with her at the same time. "I'm the Kazekage, and that means anyone with a connection to me like that would be in danger." She snorted and he furrowed his brow in a slight show of anger. "What?"

Smiling brightly, she asked, "Is that all?"

""Is that all?' Well, I think it might be a problem."

"Look," she told him, counting each thing out on her hand. "I'm a shinobi, I'm the Sorakage for my village, I'm ANBU, and I took on an Akatsuki member and came out on top. You'd think I'd be used to danger by now. And besides! Temari and Kankurou are your brother and sister! They're even closer to you than I am!"

Gaara breathed deeply and looked her over. "You're rather persistent aren't you?"

She shrugged and replied, "I have to be otherwise you'd walk all over me." He turned away from her and watched the ground with annoyance written all over his face. "Gaara…" Masao's voice was soft, and it surprised him, as he had easily become accustomed to her new, impetuous behavior. He tilted his head in wait. "I've wanted to ask you… for awhile now… why did you… leave all that time ago!" Her voice rose in slight hysterics by the end of the sentence and crossed her arms.

He sighed and spun to look at her face. Tears filled her downcast eyes, and he wanted nothing more than to make her pain go away. Placing his hands on her shoulders he said, "Masao." She refused to acknowledge his touch, and his firm hold was the only thing preventing her from shying away from him. He implored, "Masao, please. Look at me." She gulped slightly and met his aquamarine eyes with anxiety, her grey ones watery from crying. "I'm… sorry. I shouldn't have… made you cry like that. It was… extremely selfish of me." His hands slipped off of her shoulders and he glared at the ground with angry eyes.

"G-Gaara…" she whispered. His face scrunched faintly, and he could feel his heart pound. She was doing it again, what she **always** did to him. Gaara never could understand why she was the one who was able to change his heart so much. It just **happened**, beyond his control. All frost melts under the correct circumstances. And he supposed Masao might just be the event melting the ice around his heart. He just doesn't get it…! _Maybe…_ he mused, _love isn't supposed to make sense…_

'_Cause I believe in second chances_

_I believe the years forget_

_Let me fill these empty spaces_

_Better late than never / I'll stay forever_

_Let me fill this empty space_

'_Cause there's always room for one more mistake_

"Everybody makes blunders," she told him, watching her sandals. She shook her head, trying to make him understand how frustrated this was making her. She could explain it over and over, but that wasn't the problem, him understanding it. No, the problem was him acknowledging it at all. "I think fresh starts have always been in order for this relationship. Something **this** convoluted isn't going to go right the first time, you know…"

Gaara slipped his arms around her and she blushed, surprised, and stared over his shoulder at the cloudless sky. The wind blew her hair, and she felt tears swell up in her silvery eyes. "I think you're right, Masao," he told her softly. She returned the embrace tightly, the dams breaking as the water flowed down her cheeks. He pulled back and very lightly brushed his lips against hers, causing her face to turn redder and a slight smile to grace her lips. "Aishiteru… Masao-chan."

She gasped, and held her hand to her mouth. It was the first time he ever told her so. With so much emotion in his words and his eyes, Masao could tell that he truly meant it. That he was completely serious about it this time around and the prospect of it made her so happy that she could barely contain herself. "I love you, too," was all she could whisper out to him.

_We were never this close _

_When we were young_

_Every night I'd whisper your name_

_At the top of my lungs_

_I'm not afraid_

_I'm not afraid_

Masao stood on her tiptoes to try to kiss him again, but ended up grabbing his sleeve and collapsing onto the ground, her bad leg buckling out from underneath her. He landed next to her as she laughed energetically, dusting herself and him off lightly. "Are you… all right?" Gaara glanced down at her leg and frowned in concern. It was bleeding quite profusely now, and she ended her chortling nervously.

She told him, scratching the back of her head, "There's a funny story behind that… But it doesn't put you in a very good light…"

He looked appalled at the thought. "I did that?" he asked, his eyes wide in dismay.

"Erm, well, yes… but don't have a heart attack over it I'm fine," she consoled when he looked about ready to kill himself. "Yo, do not go all suicidal on me Gaara, okay? That'd be a hot mess after I went through all this crap for you." He still looked rather desperate so she stood back up and walked around slightly. "See? I'm **fine**."

Gaara was still not convinced. "I'm so sorry Masao, I really am. I didn't mean to! It was an accident…" He trailed off when she pulled him to his feet and kissed him. Smiling she glomped his head and laughed as the bridge of his nose turned slightly red.

_(There's always room)_

_Better late than never _

_(For one more mistake)_

_I'll stay forever_

"Don't be silly. I never held you accountable in the first place." Before he could make a reply Masao grabbed his arm with both hands and pulled him towards the village. "C'mon Gaara! Let's go see Kankurou and Temari, okay? I want to tell them the good news!" He followed her, watching the young woman's face closely. Her eyes were bright and uplifted, and her face had lost all of the plumpness it had once held when they were younger, making it more shapely. She was very pretty, but also, she was quite a bit shorter than he was, barely making it up to his nose. She had a thin bandage across her left cheek and a few wrapped under her bangs from the cut Kenji gave her.

Gaara suddenly looked rather serious, and she cocked an eyebrow as she waited for him to say what was on his tongue. "Masao, I know it seems…" he started, wringing his hands uncertainly. "That I really didn't care… at the end." Her eyes half closed and she intertwined her fingers together uncomfortably. He inhaled deeply and absently scratched his forehead. "Well, I just want you to know… that I did, okay?" She nodded slightly and he blinked in surprise.

"I always knew, I imagine, in the back of my mind." He met her eyes, and a smile graced his lips. She laughed and commented, playfully astonished, "Gaara-chan… you're smiling." He nodded in agreement and slipped his hand in hers as they headed back towards Sunagakure.

"I am aren't I? But then again, I had a good teacher, ne?" Her eyes grew very soft as a blush tainted her pale cheeks, and she watched the ground shyly.

_What a strange turn of events…_ he thought amusedly. If someone had told him this series of occurrences were to happen in his near future, he would have questioned their sanity. But then again, Shukaku was gone, though most definitely not for good now in the hands of the Akatsuki, Masao was back with him, and Sunagakure was safe from harm. Maybe this was the knowledge he had lacked the first time he met Masao. He had someone to share his feelings with, the suffering, sadness, and joy; as well as the pleasure, love, and pain. And here, in this end, it **was** different for him… and for her.

'_Cause there's always room for one more mistake _

_Always room for one mistake_

_Always room for one mistake_


	9. Epilogue: Two Years Later

**A/N**: Ah yes, that last chapter, I don't own Empty Spaces by SR-71, which is a great song by them. IceNight009, does this answer your question, lol? And THIS is the final chapter, hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. You are amazing!

Epilogue: Two years later…

The hustle and bustle of Sunagakure could be something someone easily got used to, or could be something one could hate. Fortunately, Masao came to adore the desert village and all of the people that resided inside it. She began to understand the complex streets and alleyways that had confused her so much at first, and she was well known by the shinobi there. She had retired as the Sorakage at Hikarigakure sp she could live with her boyfriend, the Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara.

She was officially a Suna-nin now, and a Jounin at that, and she was content. Today she had a day off, and decided to stroll around the Village Hidden in the Sand for fun. She wore a lovely blue kimono with a pale green under robe, and her obi was sapphire with light blue stripes tied in an intricate knot in the back. She slipped into her sandels and out into the village. She was met with hellos by some of the other Jounin she knew, and a few of the academy kids she taught. Although she hadn't been a Suna ninja that long, she knew that a lot of the people there respected her, thanks to Temari and Kankurou. It made her blush knowing all of the kind things they had done for her to make her life easier in Sunagakure.

"Is that Kazekage-sama's girl?" someone asked across the street and a little ways down from Masao. His friend nodded, crossing his arms nonchalantly over his chest. "He's a lucky bastard, I'll give him that. That babe's hot. She's got a good figure and a nice face." He friend nodded again, seeming slightly interested. The maroon haired girl didn't know what they were conversing about, but really didn't even notice them anyway. A little boy was sitting on the sand, crying as the grains flew around them. He was no more than five or six, and she felt a pang of pity for the young child.

She stopped before him she asked kindly, "What's an adorable little boy like you sitting here crying for?" He blinked and glanced up at her, wiping his eyes on the back of his sleeve. She saw he had a precious heart shaped face, and was about the cutest child she had ever seen.

He sniffed and told her, "I wanna play with somebody, but all my friends are busy and the big kids say I'm too small."

"Oh sweet," the man muttered, seeing that she was going to bend over to talk to the child, giving him full view of what was down her kimono. But before he was able to see her fully lean down, a small wall of sand blocked his and his friend's view and they glanced around to see a stoic Kazekage standing before them. He wore his blue robes and white jacket and scarf, pointy hat included on his head, and his eyes looked angry.

He warned, "Try and attempt that again, and I won't hesitate to allow her to use her genjutsu on you. And it won't be pleasant, I can guarantee it." The men gulped and scurried away like cockroaches just revealed to a newly turned on light, much to his almost apparent amusement.

Masao smiled at the boy and told him, "I'll play with you, if it's okay?" He blinked at watched her in surprise, trying to figure out if there was some type of catch in her words. "I didn't get to play a lot as a kid, so it could be fun if you showed me how you do it. Where's the nearest playground, hm?" He smiled and grabbed her hand pulling her along to where a single wooden rope swing hung, and she had to run slightly to keep up with his fast pace. Gaara watched them through his pale green eyes, trying to figure out if someone did that for him as a child, how would things have turned out then?

That woman seemed to surprise him on a daily basis more than his own siblings did. She took kindly to everyone, even people like those men he had just frightened away, except on the battle field like a true shinobi. He continued to follow her movements as she pushed the boy on the swing, higher and higher until he thought he would go soaring off the wooden seat. But she just caught him swinging back down, laughing. He giggled and toppled off backwards into her, and she caught him easily, steadying him on his feet. "Careful," she laughed, dusting the sand from his clothes. She glanced up and her silver eyes met his. She looked surprised at first, and then smiled and waved to him. He gave her a nod in return and she turned back to the boy, joking, "Now it's your turn to push me!"

"Huh? But I'm too small!" he protested, crossing his arms in a huff. The twilight of the ending day had begun to set upon them, and she glanced around to see the sunset coloring the sky before them.

"Why don't you go home, sweetie?" she told the boy, planting a kiss on his cheek and he smiled, waving goodbye to her as he strolled down the street. She sat on the swing, watching the colorful sky cheerfully. Gaara walked over behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders and she glanced back at him, looking surprised. "Gaara?" Masao questioned. He made no reply, just pushed her gently on the swing. She laughed softly as she swung on the old rope swing, liking the feeling of his hands on her back. Suddenly he stopped her from getting too high, and wrapped his arms around her.

"I don't want to lose you among the stars," he whispered to her his chin resting on her shoulder. She blushed and rested her hands on his, watching the stars peek out one by one as the sun completely set behind the horizon. He slid her off the swing and stood next to her, his five foot two barely topping her five foot nothing. "Let's get home." She smiled and nodded, holding his hand and leaving the swing, another day done in Suna. Things had gotten pretty much normal. At least as normal as a village full of shinobi could get.

Finis


	10. Thanks

Thanks!

OMG! Yes, this means that the sequel is done! I hope you guys enjoyed this thoroughly, 'cause I worked my ass off for you (lol). In fact, LyokofanYumisman is pissed at me for staying on the computer so he couldn't type the next chapter of his story! I love you guys so much! And I would like to personally thank:

Chixon: OMG! It's my über first reviewer back from way back when! Thanks for taking time to read this one too! I'm glad you like it! YOU ROCK MY SOCKS!

IceNight009: Thanks for the morality booster, it really helped a lot. I'm glad a lot of my reviewers were hoping for a part two. If you're really nice to me, I might make a part three (see above). Did you think his explanation was good? If not than you and I shall have a stern talk with him! Love you too! Hee, 'but not for long', shouldn't give the story away now!

NoCareChakara: I'm so very glad you like it. Thanks for the review, you're awesome!

scorpiongrl: You know, your review really changed my mind about the happy/sad ending. It wasn't originally going to be happy, and then I changed my mind thanks to your influence. In fact, see my next part of this couple and wait for your surprise!

YounememeArika: Thank you for coming back! And for being my first reviewer! You rock out loud! Make sure to keep your demon away from Gaara, okay? He can't die otherwise Masao shall be very upset. And thank you for the compliment, it really means a lot to me! Love ya!

KaoriUchiha192: Thanks for reviewing this, it means so much to me!

Superfreak9201: I'm glad you enjoyed reading this, and thanks for the review.

Kyre Aldar: Thanks for the review! It's so awesome how many people liked this!

Masao: I have to say, I rather enjoyed the ending of this better, Shelbey.

Me: (_shrugs._) What can I say? My readers asked and I delivered.

Masao: Well, at least Gaara has changed just a little bit, ne? But does this mean the entire thing's over? I mean, no more dabbling with my and Gaara's relationship? **Do you hate us so much that you plan to abandon us!**

Me: (_snort_) Hell, no! I have an entire database of drabbles lined up just waiting to be posted.

Gaara: (_walks in, clueless_) Masao, we're out of ice cream and I'm in the mood for some mint chocolate chip… (_Notices me, and quirks his brow_) What are you doing here Shelbey? Don't tell me you're going to pawn off my socks again to rabid fangirls… again…

Masao: (_rolls _eyes) She's here to explain to us about what she has cooked up for the **next** sequel.

Gaara: (_sarcasm_) Joy. I'm going to lock my sock drawer now.

Me: (_Gives him a dirty look_) ahem Okay, it's going to be one of the 100 Theme Challenge things, and I could pick anything I wanted so I picked this couple. Also, all it's going to be is a collection of drabbles based after this story. I already have like, fourteen of them written so it's just a matter of typing them. YAY!

Gaara: Like I said before, 'joy'. In fact, I feel so much joy that I'm just going to leave and make sure my drawer is out of your grasp. (_leaves_) (_Masao groans_)

Me: (_to Masao._) Hey, he's your boyfriend.

Masao: (_sighs_) I know… But I love him anyway. Even if he is a royal pain in the ass.

Gaara: (_mumbling_) I heard that… (_Masao and I laugh at his expense_)

Thank you for reading through the second part of this now three part pairing. You people make my day when ever you leave me a review or even give me a hit. Unless you're a writer or have something online that you wait for reviews for you could never understand how that feels. You amazing people should be commended! I love you all!

My Gaara of the Sand 2006

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